Opinion: the new Ford Focus ST could be a tuning hero

There’s a new Ford Focus ST. Could it be a cult hero in waiting? Here’s a thought.

As you might have read, it has a 2.3-litre engine, churning out 276bhp. At random, let’s choose a rival: the Renault Megane RS. It also makes 276bhp, but uses a much smaller engine to deliver it – the same 1.8-litre job you find nestled amid an Alpine A110. The Focus has a whole extra 500cc behind its yawning grille.

Why’s Ford used such a big engine? The likes of VW and AMG have proved that two measly litres are more than enough to generate 300bhp, maybe 350bhp, and beyond. Aren’t engines supposed to be getting smaller?

And, note that the old Ford Focus RS – yep, the one with Drift mode – also had a 2.3-litre engine, yet boasted a whole 345bhp (and yet more in special editions). You might feel a bit shortchanged in the new ST, with ‘only’ 276bhp on tap.

That’d be cruel, though. Ford’s simply pitching the new ST slap bang in the sweet spot among its rivals. It’ll match the likes of the Megane RS and Hyundai i30N for raw poke, and though it’s a little less extreme than the Honda Civic Type R, it’s got more torque.

What’s more, Ford doesn’t have a suitable 2.0-litre engine waiting on the shelf. Its petrol motor family goes something like this: 1.0-litre three-cylinder for workaday cars, a 1.5-litre three-cylinder for slightly spritelier models (it gives 182bhp in the Focus and 197bhp in the sublime Fiesta ST), and then the 2.3-litre four-cylinder, whose other main job is to power the Mustang EcoBoost.

So, there we are. Perfectly logical move by Ford to slot a 2.3-litre turbo into the new Focus ST. Sure, it’s slight cubic capacity overkill, but better that than wringing out a tri-cylinder engine to the point it idles like a top fuel dragster and suffers more turbo lag than a 1980s Ferrari.

Makes me wonder though – will this be one of those cars that creates a cult of tuning around it? Certain cars with masses of headroom in their engine are irresistible to tuners – think Nissan GT-R, Audi RS6, Mercedes G-Wagen. Barely a week goes by without a new version arriving boasting a telephone number horsepower total, thanks to some light laptop fettling and a rorty exhaust.

On past form, Ford doesn’t rush out its ultimate Focuses. The Focus RS is an end-of-life special, appearing long after the launch buzz. After the facelift, right before the car dies, to zap it with some interest.

So, there’ll be a few years to wait before the Mk4 Focus RS arrives. Years in which we’ll get a new Golf R. A new Audi S3. Perhaps a Toyota Corolla GRMN. And the small matter of a Mercedes-AMG A45 S with 415bhp. You can almost hear the tuning houses' laptop fingers drumming, can’t you?

So, while a new era of whaletail wings and box-top arches is too much to hope for, maybe the new Focus ST can usher in a last hurrah of batsh*t fast Ford tuning. Like the 1990s glory days of pulling 500bhp and beyond from Sierra and Escort Cosworths with turbos you could fit your head into, and lag measured in weeks.

That EcoBoost engine is good for a solid 400bhp before it’ll need serious surgery, and the underlying chassis is a damn sight more capable of handling big poke than those floppy old Sierras could back in the days of tape decks and 2G mobile telephones.

Not to besmirch those old fast Ford legends, you understand. We’ve picked a choice couple from Dagenham’s heritage fleet for the gallery above. Icons of touring cars and rallying, of joyriding and McDonald's car parks. Pity good examples of each will set you back more than a brand-new Porsche 911 these days. Still, it leaves a gap in the market for a bargain boosted Blue Oval…

What say you, internet? Before the hot hatch turns hybrid, and the EVs complete their coup, could the humble Focus ST be a candidate for one last tuner’s hero?